Spirited Away :: A Strange Reunion
by Kisa Rose
Summary: Chihiro has grown up. She has a little brother to tell her stories to. When he does the unexpected, is she destined to return to the world she never thought she'd see again in search of someone she is afraid to lose?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Spirited Away. Hayao Miyazaki deserves all the credit for such a great movie.**

**A Side Note: Only the Prologue is going to be in first person and it will be shorter than the other chapters. This is my First FanFiction so tell me if I mess something up really bad.**

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**::Prologue::**

I am Chihiro Ogino.

I could tell you I don't think about the Spirit World but that would be a lie.

I could tell you I don't think about Haku but that would be a lie too.

The fact is I simply couldn't go again after we came back. Why? I'm sure you're curious but I'll start from when we drove away from the Spirit World and we'll get there eventually.

I remember vividly how hard it was to watch out the back window of my family's car as we drove away from the entry of the world I had came to love. I waited for Haku impatiently for months but those months brought a surprise in themselves. My mom's stomach slowly started to grow bulbous and my father acted as proud as ever.

If you hadn't guessed, my mom got pregnant.

Again, I would love to tell you I was your typical pre-teen who did not want to share their parents with a younger sibling, but the reality is that I could not wait. When they told me I'd have a baby brother I literally ran out of the room and shouted out to the world outside our quaint little home, "I'm going to have a baby brother!"

My mom and dad never believed me about the Spirit World so I would pass my stories onto my brother. Maybe when he was old enough we would find the entrance together. That would be awesome. Little kids were good at believing fake things and making them real so something like this would be perfect for us to get close. Even if it was far from fake.

The time came when he was born and it was a glorious event. It was the summer I turned eleven.

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By the time he turned five, he wanted me to show him the entry to the world I told him about. I promised I would, after graduation. I wanted him to wait patiently and get excited about it. I just had to be sure to make him promise not to go there when he knows where the entrance is.

But his need to see the world made me go back to the entry on my own once again. I always expected to feel something firmer than plaster when I touched the entry. "It's only plaster." I had to remind myself every time.

"Haku... Where are you?" I would plead but he never showed up. It was more than a sad time for me but I still had hope that he would fulfill his promise to me.

Then I would go home again.

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Now that I'm eighteen I wonder if he would even recognize me. I had a growth spurt and groomed my brown hair until it was poker straight and tidy. The purple hair tie Zeniba gave me was still in my hair but instead of a ponytail it now was holding up a messy bun. I still have bangs but they are kept swept off to their respective sides. My face has matured and the rest of me followed suit. I took the shape of a young woman.

I want Haku to remember me when he does come to me.

I wonder how he is and when he will spirit me away.


	2. Chapter 1: Chihiro's Graduation

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Spirited Away. Hayao Miyazaki deserves all the credit for such a great movie.**

**A Side Note: Please tell me of my mistakes and enjoy.**

**::Chapter 1: Chihiro's Graduation::**

"Mom, Dad, Riku! Can you believe it?" Chihiro said as excitedly as her other classmates around her. None of them could believe their years at high school had drawn to a close.

"Congratulations!" Her parents said in unison as they forced their way through the crowd.

Only one face looked displeased by the sight of the girl in her graduation attire. It was one of a seven year old boy with brown hair and sharp eyes. "It just means you're turning into an old hag." He mumbled.

Chihiro ruffled his hair playfully, "At least, I'll never be as old as Yu-Baaba."

"You probably will."

"I'd rather not."

"But you will be."

"And you'll get turned into a pig."

"As if." She mocked at last winking when she was done. If someone only saw them in public, they'd think the two hated each other. Sometimes it felt that way but rarely. They were close and tomorrow they would get closer if all went as planned.

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"Chihiro when are we going to see the entry? Can't we go now?" The boy pleaded.

"No, morning will be better. The path is overgrown so, we'll need need the sunlight." Chihiro said as she hung up some close in her closet.

"You just want this to last another day." Riku accused from behind her. He looked around as she continued to hang up her clothes. His sister's room has some boxes set in the corner, packed and ready for college already. A bookcase was filled with books about mythology and drags and the Kohaku River on one wall. The next held typical posters of bands along with her door and the entry to her closet. In the next corner sat a desk with a laptop perched on it. That wall also showed her bed with its green and blue comforter. Riku enjoyed the tranquility of her room.

"That too but it'll be worth it. Right? Now go to bed. You can't be tired tomorrow." She smiled as she spoke and raised her hand in good-bye.

"Fine, I'll make sure to wake you up." He grumbled, hugging her before he ran out of the room.

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The next morning at six o'clock, Riku bounded into his sister's room with their back packs ready and a pair of hiking boots on his feet. He insisted he would need them. Yet, he pounced on his sister's bed and pushed against her with the bags. "Come on lazy. You're burning daylight." His voice was eager as he shoved his sister through the comforter.

An eye peaked out from under the comforter and a hidden mass shoved him back so he'd stop. "Give me another hour. I just graduated yesterday remember? And I left to go to a party after you went to bed." She groaned as he opened her curtains to reveal a bright sunshine outside. "Close it!" The screech echoed off her walls and the boy retreated outside.

An hour passed and he was in her room again. Carefully, he pushed her side. "Can we go, now?" He asked politely this time, not wanting to aggravate her any further.

"Yeah. Let me get dressed."

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The two tumbled through the growth nature had taken and laughed along the way. Some bandages had to be applied to a few scraped knees but no serious injury happened: Despite their combined clumsiness. They took note of the nature that lay all around them. The way the trees looked as they gained even more leaves and the way grass had taken over a path that should have existed were just a few things they found. That only added to the excitement of the trip.

It all lead to that one moment when the red building came into sight. The color had faded and there were more white spots where the paint had chipped away all together, but that did nothing to tarnish the way Chihiro still felt when she looked at it. The statue was overgrown with moss so it was no longer something of beauty. Instead, it became a green mass. The look in Chihiro's eyes left her brother dumbfounded. Riku wasn't sure what to think as he looked his older sister's look of endearment and, somehow, sadness that left him hurting too. He'd never thought there was anything particularly great about just the entrance other than where it led. Chihiro had never told him her feelings for Haku. All he knew was that there was a boy who could turn into a dragon that had many adventures. So he couldn't fathom the look on his sister's face.

"Is this it?" He asked quietly after a few minutes. A nod verified that it was and he asked another question. "Why do you look like a little kid who's dog just died?"

A chuckle echoed from his sister's throat. "Sorry, just remembering." Her voice was quiet as well and she continued up to the building as if she were about to enter. Instead, she knocked on the wall and laughed contently. "Hear that? It's just plaster." It amused her but at the same time it hurt her to the core.

"That's weird.... So, why haven't you went back there to visit them? Since you know where the entrance is and all?" His curiosity made him hurt his sister but since it was unintentional she kept a smile on her face.

Riku has never asked something like that before but she knew it would come with this trip. "I can't. I tried once but I couldn't get there. I think Haku made it impossible for me to return. I guess I made life a bit tougher for him when I was there." She said, forcing a laugh that caught in her throat. "You better not go trying anything to get in. I can't save you if you get stuck in there and I'd rather you be around for a while longer. Pinky promise me you won't go in there." Chihiro said with her pinky held out to him.

Gripping the finger with his own, Riku nodded. "I promise." Sadly, he had made it a point to cross the fingers on his other hand and hid them from his sister. In his childish way, he was revolting and planning something to help his dear sister.


	3. Chapter 2: Run Away

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Spirited Away. Hayao Miyazaki deserves all the credit for such a great movie.  
A Side Note: Please tell me of my mistakes and enjoy. Also, this is going to be a very short chapter but the next one will make up for it ten fold.

::Chapter 2: Run Away::

Riku slammed the door to his room as he listened to his family blabbering on about Chihiro leaving for college the next morning. They were planning how to get all her things to her dorm and what they'd let her leave at home in the attic if it couldn't all go in. Chihiro had been sitting there smiling and laughing like it was nothing to leave her little brother behind. So, Riku left and retreated to his own room.

The door was locked behind him and he crept to his closet where he had his backpack. He knelt down to it and unzipped it with care. Inside of the bag laid spare clothes, cards with his name on them, and a few other objects that suggested he was taking an extended trip somewhere. Riku put some more clothes in the bag and crammed a few more objects in until it was stuffed full. Knowing he'd not be noticed til later, he stuffed a few random objects under his blankets and arranged them until they looked almost like a sleeping version of him.

With that he unlocked the door and slid out of the first story window of his room.

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"Chihiro! Is your brother in here with you?" The urgent voice of her mother said tossing objects around the room.

Chihiro looked up from her work on a box and shook her head. "Nope. I haven't seen him since last night. Why?" Her eyes moved back to her taping.

The older woman sat down on the edge of her daughter's now bare bed and hung her head in despair. "We can't find him. He must have left sometime in the night. A-and we don't know where he went." She cried into her hands as she sat there.

The younger girl stood up and went to sit beside her mother. Her arm went around the woman and she spoke in a soothing voice. "He was probably just trying to be an attention hog and went over to a friends house. Why don't you let me call his friends and see if I can find him. Give me an hour. Why don't you close up the rest of these boxes for me while I look okay?" Chihiro looked at her mother who could only nod. Her daughter then went out of the room to begin her search.

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"He's not at your place either. Well, thank you anyway. Call us if he turns up." The small family was huddled around the phone and despair hung heavily in the room. Chihiro should have left hours before but the family had been forced to set down and call every possible number they could find. This was there last hope.

Her father would have been more frustrated if they'd found him but hours of searching had brought them nothing. "That boy. What could drive him to be so stupid at a time like this?" Her father muttered from behind his large hands.

"He's been acting so strange this summer. He used to be such a good boy. Do you think it's the Higurashi boy he's been hanging out with?" Chihiro heard the words being said by her parents but she was focused on two words. This summer. It was true. He'd been weird all summer. Ever since she'd shown him the entry to the Spirit World.

Her answer clicked into place and without her having to think too hard on the topic, she stood up. "I know where he went. It might take me a few days to catch up with him though so if I don't come back right away, you know why." Her parents looked up at her with a sad look in their both sets of their eyes. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he comes back safe and sound."

With that, she hurried to her room and grabbed a bag of clothes. "Please let me in." Chihiro said, remembering her previously failed attempts to enter the world that had Haku.

She could hardly believe that she was once again returning to the entry to the Spirit World.


	4. Chapter 3: Spirit World

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Spirited Away. Hayao Miyazaki deserves all the credit for such a great movie.**

**A Side Note: Please tell me of my mistakes and enjoy.**

**::Chapter 3: Spirit World::**

Riku sniffed at the air and followed his nose to a stand that had just set food out for the night. His mouth watered but he made no attempt to act on his growing hunger. Chihiro had told him how their parents turned into pigs from eating this food. Night was starting to fall though and fear was slowly settling its way into his system. Creatures here weren't necessarily very fond of humans from what he'd been told.

Chickening out, he rushed to the river and stopped as water sloshed against his sneakers. He looked up to see the ferry making its way across the river and he collapsed on the ground pathetically. Where was all the glists and glammer Chihiro had talked about? The way she spoke about this world was like a dream and so far he was just seeing the shadows come to life before his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" A harsh voice said behind Riku.

An abrupt turn put the young boy face to face with a younger looking man. He was a few heads taller than Riku and his face was far more serious than was normal for the age he appeared to be. By Riku's guess he was maybe twenty. His hair seemed to be a dark teal or a mixture of blue and green. The hair extended to his shoulders with his bangs being cut straight across at the middle of his forehead. Had Riku paid attention to Chihiro's first description of the dragon, he'd had known exactly who this was but he just stayed there and stammered quietly. "W-who are y-you?"

The man raised an eyebrow and shook his head as he pulled the boy back from the edge of the water. "You shouldn't be here. It's dangerous for a human." Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a berry of some sort and thrust it into the boys hand. "Eat this or you'll disappear." The man grew more serious with each word he spoke.

"I-I can't move my legs." The boy said before he saw the opaqueness of his hand and tossed the berry into his mouth. Riku chewed like his life depended on it and watched as the man laid a hand on his legs. A few words muttered under this man's breath released Riku's legs from the binding they felt trapped in.

The man looked at the ferry that had just docked at the side of the river. "Follow these directions and don't be late." The man said, laying a hand on the boy's forehead. "I'm going to take you across a bridge, hold your breath acrossed it. When we reach the other said find the steps that lead you to the boiler room. A man named Kamajii will be there. Tell him you want a job there. He will act like he doesn't need you but he'll kick you out if you don't have a reason to be there. I will meet you there while you talk to him. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good, now let's go." The man said, taking off with the boy in tow. "What is your name, boy?" The man asked looking back at the boy.

"R-Riku. Riku Ogino." Riku responded with a slight smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

"Well, Riku, I hope you can do more than stutter and act stupid." With that the conversation ended and no more words were exchanged between them as they started their journey.

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Chihiro stumbled over the brush that had seemed to grow even more dense over the course of a few months. "Riku, I'm going to strangle you when I see you." She muttered to herself as she tripped over a tree root that she could hardly see in the dimming light. A bag was slung over her back and she was tempted to leave it behind if she didn't realize that she'd probably need every bit of the camping equipment she'd brought because she was so late in realizing where he'd went to.

But, she continued, racing the clock that kept ticking.

At last, the mossy statue and the entry came into view. Chihiro kept running and looked up to the darkening sky.

With the last of her energy, she bolted through the entry and through the building. The bag dropped from her shoulders as she passed through the other side.

Water whirled around her ankles and she looked at the sky. Complete darkness.

"No, no." She said, looking across the massive river infront of her. "Why Riku?" Chihiro asked into the darkness.

Retreating back into the building, Chihiro found a bench and laid out on it. She had no choice but to wait out the night until she could be with her brother again.

"At least, I made it through." She said to herself, smiling as she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.


End file.
